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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
A Dust Devil on Mars
Explanation: Does the surface of Mars change? When inspecting yearly images of the Martian surface taken by the robot spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor currently orbiting Mars , sometimes new dark trails are visible. Although originally a mystery, the culprit is now usually known to be a dust devil , a huge swirling gas-cloud with similarities to a terrestrial tornado. Pictured above , a recent image has not only captured a new dark trail but the actual dust devil itself climbing a crater wall . Dust devils are created when Martian air is heated by a warm surface and begins to spin as it rises. Dust devils can stretch 8 kilometers high but usually last only a few minutes.
| Date | September 3, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: Malin Space Science Systems , MGS , JPL , NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |